Package of collapsible tubes and tray therefor

ABSTRACT

A package of collapsible tubes comprising a tray at top and bottom of a plurality of similarly oriented tubes arranged side by side in parallel alignment, each tube having a cap closing one end and the other end open, each tray having a plurality of indentations and corresponding protrusions, the caps of said tubes being in the indentations of the top tray and the protrusions on the bottom tray extending into the open ends of the tubes and giving support against accidental deformation in a radial direction, and means to retain the trays together against the ends of the tubes. Two or more assemblies are stacked in a carton with the protrusions of one assembly extending into the corresponding indentations of another assembly. The tray per se is also part of the invention.

[ 5 Mar. 19, 1974 I PACKAGE OF COLLAPSIBLE TUBES AND Finland 206/65 E Switzerland...................... 206/65 Y TRAY THEREFOR [75] Inventor: John Arthur Shaw, Abbotsford,

South wales, Australia Primary Exam1ner-Leonard Summer 9 Attorney, Agent, or FirmKenneth A. Koch, Esq.; Asslgneei colgme'palmohve Company New Murray M. Grill, Esq.; Herbert S. Sylvester, Esq.

York, NY.

ABSTRACT 221 Filed: Apr. 19, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 245,480

package of collapsible tubes comprising a tray at top and bottom of a plurality of similarly oriented ged side by side in parallel alignment tube having a cap closing one end and the other en each tubes arran [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Australia........,.................... 4667/71 d each tray having a plurality of indentations and corresponding protrusions, the caps of said tubes Apr. 20, 1971 pen,

521' U."s'."i.'. .1"2'ti6/277, 206/446, 2061499, 206/503,

being in the indentations of the top tray and the pro- [51] Int. r n n e t om tray extending into the open H 206;65 /65 E, 65 Y ends of the tubes and giving support against accidental deformation in a radial direction, and means to retain the trays together against the ends of the tubes. Two

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS or more assemblies are stacked in a carton with the protrusions of one assembly extending into the corre- FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Lee m t e p O 0 fl t S 676 366 999 111 272 1 1 920 07 3 4 639 .3 233 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 10/1967 France 206/65 E PATENIEDMAR I 9 m4 SHEET 1 OF 3 FIG. I

PATENTEUHAR 19 I974 SHEU 2 0F 3 FIG. 2

PATENTEDHAR 19 m4- SHEET 3 OF 3 FIG.3

PACKAGE OF COLLAPSIBLE TUBES AND TRAY THEREFOR The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to packaging and particularly relates to a package of collapsible tubes and a tray therefor.

Collapsible tubes such as are used for products like toothpaste are normally made of aluminium or of other soft metal and consist of a thin body which can be deformed to express the contents of the tube, the body having at one end a shoulder of rather heavier metal which terminates in a central neck to which a cap may be rcmovably secured. Such collapsible tubes, after manufacture, normally have a cap applied to them and are thereafter filled from the opposite end which, at this stage, is open and will be referred to as the open end. However, filling is normally carried out in a separate factory from the manufacture of the tube and it is therefore necessary to transport tubes from the place of manufacture to the place at which they will be filled. It will be readily appreciated that such tubes in an unfilled condition are relatively delicate and have to be packedvery carefully for transport purposes in order to avoid danger of accidental deformation which would make them unsuitable for the intended use.

Hitherto the type of package used for transport of such tubes has comprised a container having within it a grid structure by means of which individual tubes are maintained in separate cells, and while this type of packaging is quite satisfactory it is also very expensive. The object of the present invention is to provide a package of collapsible tubes which is as effective as the conventional packaging referred to but which is considerably less expensive.

The present invention comprises a tray for and a package of collapsible tubes having at least one layer of collapsible tubes, the tubes in each layer being similarly orientated and arranged side by side in parallel alignment and being held in position by a pair of the trays extending in planes at right angles to the axes of thetubes and arranged at opposite ends of the layer, each tray having in it a plurality of indentations each giving rise to a corresponding protrusion at the other side of the tray, each indentation being shaped to receive and locate the cap of a collapsible tube and each protrusion being shaped to project into the open end of a tube in such a manner as to retain the tube in its correct location and provide support against accidental deformation in a radial direction, the trays being formed in any suitable way, e.g., by moulding from thin sheets of plastic or other suitable material, and means being provided to hold the trays together against the ends of the tubes. The package of tubes may be enclosed in an outer, preferably rectangular, container of cardboard or other suitable material for shipping.

In order that the nature of the invention may be better understood a preferred form thereof is hereinafter described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tube pack according to the invention consisting or two layers of packages of tubes in a container, broken away to show the interior,

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional elevation of the superposed packages of FIG. 1 without the container, taken on a plane just inside the first row of tubes, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two packages according to the invention, each comprising of two trays and a layer of tubes.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. I and 2 the tray pack comprises an outer container 10 which preferably is made conventionally of corrugated cardboard material and which may be printed externally with any suitable matter. Each of the six surfaces of the container I0 is preferably rectangular. In the bottom of the container 10 is arranged a first tray 11 which is of rectangular outline corresponding to the interior shape of the container in plan, its size being such that it fits closely within the container and lies flat on the bottom thereof. The tray is made, for example by vacuum moulding, from thin plastic sheet material and as seen from above consists of a plurality of rows of protrusions 12, each row preferably being staggered in relation to the adjacent rows by a distance equal to the largest radius of each protrusion. The protrusions are shaped so as to have a base which is circular in plan, there being superimposed on this base a co-axial frusto-conical portion which preferably is closed at its upper end. For each protrusion there is, of course, a corresponding indentation or depression on the other side of the tray and the shape of the protrusions and indentations or depressions is such that the circular base of the protrusion 12 will just fit within the open end of the collapsible tube 13 to be carried in the package, thus serving not only to locate the end of the tube in its correct position in the package but also to give the open end of the tube some protection against distortion or collapse in a radial direction. The frusto-conical portion of the protrusion which simply extends upwardly into the interior of the tube has no particular function when considered as a projection but as part of the corresponding depression it serves to receive and locate the cap 14 of the tube 13. The first sheet II referred to above, which may be considered the base of the package, merely has the function of locating the open ends of a plurality of tubes 13 which are arranged upright on it, each tube being placed on one of the upstanding projections I2. Once a layer of tubes 13 has been completed a second tray 15 is arranged over the tops of the caps of those tubes so that the cap of each tube fits into one of the frusto-conical indentations of the tray. The tray 15 thus serves to locate the caps of all the tubes in the layer in their correct relative positions.

The package may consist of a single layer of tubes comprising a base tray 11, the layer of tubes 13 and a top tray 15 held together by any suitable means as described hereinafter. In many cases, however, it is advantageous to pack two or more layer of tubes in a shipping container Ml. In preparing a two layer package, once the second or top tray 15 is in position a third similar tray 15' is placed in position on it and a second layer of tubes is built up on it, a fourth tray 16 being arranged on top of them. This completes the assembly of the package in this case which is intended to carry two layers of tubes. It will be appreciated, however, that instead of the two layers already described only a single layer or more than two layers may be accommodated in the package, each additional layer being assembled as described for the second layer.

Each assembly or layer of tubes and trays is held together by any suitable means, e.g., retainers 17 which may be rubber bands, C-shaped wire clips, and the like so that after arranging the tubes in their appropriate positions between two trays the whole assembly of one or more layers may be inserted into the outer container 10. The retainers 17 comprise portions to engage the outer surfaces of the two trays, i.e., the upper surface of the top tray and the lower surface of the bottom tray and at least one connector between the portions that engage the outer surfaces of the two trays. Any other convenient means e.g., the outer container and the like, may be used for holding the trays against the opposite ends of the layer of tubes.

With the arrangement described the tubes are maintained in position by restraint applied to the cap which is relatively solid and capable of resisting applied forces and to the open end of the tube, which is at this stage, of course, the weakest part of the tube but which, by means of the particular construction of the tray, is supported against deformation by the protrusions on the tray. As noted above, the frusto-conical portion is preferably closed at the top so that the cap does not bind in the depression or indentation. This form of pack as shown in FIG. 1 has considerable economic advantages, one being that the outer container 10 that is used to transport the empty tubes from the tube manufacturer to the filling plant can be used again for packing filled tubes, which are themselves normally packaged in individual cardboard boxes. A further advantage in multi-layer packs arises from the fact that a saving of space is achieved in the packaging of the empty tubes, in that more tubes may be packed in a given space according to the invention, than with conventional methods.

FIG. 3 shows'two packages each consisting of a single layer of tubes 18 and 19 having trays 20 and 21 at opposite ends, each package being held together by C- shaped wire clips 22, the construction of the trays being as described above. It has been found that a package consisting of a single layer of tubes is sufficiently rigid v and coherent to be handled without a surrounding container and a large number of such packages may be mounted on and shipped by means of a pallet, individual packages being mounted one on the other as shown in FIG. 3. The trays in this figure are shown broken in the middle to indicate that they may be of indefinite length.

The embodiments of the invention described above are given by way of example only as constituting preferred forms of the invention.

Having thus described and illustrated the invention what is claimed is:

l. A package of collapsible tubes consisting of at least two layers of collapsible tubes, the tubes in each layer being similarly oriented and arranged side by side in parallel alignment, the layers of tubes being held in position by an upper shaped tray, 21 lower shaped tray and at least one pair of central trays disposed between each pair of layers, each of said trays extending in planes at right angles to the axes of the tubes, and having in it a plurality of indentation each giving rise to a corresponding protrusion at the other side of the tray,

each indentation being shaped to receive and locate the cap of a collapsible tube and each protrusion being shaped to project into the open end of a tube, the protrusions of one of each of said pairs of central trays extending into the corresponding indentations of the other one of each of said pairs of central trays, and retaining means for holding the trays together.

2. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein each indentation and corresponding protrusion consists of a circular base the diameter of which is such that it fits closely within the open end of the tube and a co-axial frusto-conical portion extending from the base into which the cap of the tube fits so as to be located against movement in a radial direction.

3. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tray is a thin sheet of plastic formed by molding.

4. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein the package is surrounded closely by an outer container.

5. A package as claimed in claim 4, wherein the container is rectangular in shape and each tray is rectangular in outline to fit closely within the container,

6. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retaining means comprises portions engaging the outer surfaces of the trays and at least one connector between said portions. 

1. A package of collapsible tubes consisting of at least two layers of collapsible tubes, the tubes in each layer being similarly oriented and arranged side by side in parallel alignment, the layers of tubes being held in position by an upper shaped tray, a lower shaped tray and at least one pair of central trays disposed between each pair of layers, each of said trays extending in planes at right angles to the axes of the tubes, and having in it a plurality of indentation each giving rise to a corresponding protrusion at the other side of the tray, each indentation being shaped to receive and locate the cap of a collapsible tube and each protrusion being shaped to project into the open end of a tube, the protrusions of one of each of said pairs of central trays extending into the corresponding indentations of the other one of each of said pairs of central trays, and retaining means for holding the trays together.
 2. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein each indentation and corresponding protrusion consists of a circular base the diameter of which is such that it fits cLosely within the open end of the tube and a co-axial frusto-conical portion extending from the base into which the cap of the tube fits so as to be located against movement in a radial direction.
 3. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tray is a thin sheet of plastic formed by molding.
 4. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein the package is surrounded closely by an outer container.
 5. A package as claimed in claim 4, wherein the container is rectangular in shape and each tray is rectangular in outline to fit closely within the container.
 6. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retaining means comprises portions engaging the outer surfaces of the trays and at least one connector between said portions. 